How did you get into the drinks industry and why?
I have been in the drinks industry now for over 25 years, so it really feels more like a lifestyle than a job. I was fortunate to start my journey with wine in Australia in 1997 as a sales rep with Mildara Blass, which is now part of Treasury Wine Estates. My dad was always talking about wine at home and sharing different bottles with me, so I guess I was interested from an early age.
After finishing university, I had a brief stint working for a manufacturing company that built conveyors and warehousing racking, unfortunately it didn’t fill me with excitement. One night, my wife Madeleine and I were having dinner with a good friend at a restaurant called the Black Olive in Stanley Steet, Sydney.
Jane was in recruitment and had been pushing me on whether I was enjoying work or not. “No, not really” I had told her, and she challenged me, “well what do you love?”. I happened to be lifting a fantastic glass of wine to my lips and responded, “well I am definitely loving this red”. Around four weeks later I was working in the wine industry selling Wolf Blass Wines and Mildara Brandy.
How would you describe your style of management?
Paul Schaafsma has successfully lead teams of people and brands across a number of major wine businesses including now his own in Benchmark Drinks
I am not here to be a micro manager; I believe if you hire driven people with the right work ethic and motivation, they will deliver for you.
What is your approach to managing and motivating people?
My aim is to set the vision for the business, then ensure the team have the right resource and tools to succeed. Whilst perhaps unfashionable, our team doesn’t work from home. They enjoy working collaboratively in an open plan office environment. They have found they can still communicate without having to schedule zoom calls with each other.
We have several graduates in the business who have commented, they would never have advanced as quickly as they have, if they didn’t have the positive influence of colleagues available to mentor and work alongside them.
How do you retain good talent?
Provide them an environment where they can progress and succeed.
How do you deal with unmotivated and non-performing members of your team?
We don’t have any unmotivated / non-performing people team members; they wouldn’t suit the culture of Benchmark Drinks.
My advice from the outset, is to hire the person not the position. If you hire the right person, you can teach them the role, but you can never teach them work ethic or passion.
How has the role of business leader changed?
I don’t believe it has. The environment and challenges will always change but the leader still has the same responsibilities.
Have you had business mentors in your career and what have you learnt most from them?
Brian McGuigan [McGuigan Wines] gave me a fantastic grounding in brand building and listening to the consumer.
If you have a problem in a business what are the steps you put in place to try and solve it?
Anyone who has survived a start-up and been able to take it to a mid-sized company, can usually solve most problems thrown at them.
Who do you admire in business and why?
Inside drinks:
Paul Schaasfma is a big admirer of how Helen McGinn is able to connect with wine drinkers
Helen McGinn is one of the most delightful and hardworking people in the drinks trade and honestly deserves every bit of success she has had.
Jason Godley {category director for beers, wines and spirits at Tesco] has had a career both here and abroad where he has backed himself and his team to deliver ranges that challenge the norm and deliver for customers.
Outside drinks industry:
Dan Jago, whist he is now chairman and chief executive of Purdey, making rather expensive shot guns, his ability to reinvent himself throughout his drinks career was inspirational.
If you are interested in buying a business what are the key questions you need to ask to determine whether it is a possibility or not?
I am not looking to buy a business; please don’t send any proposals, I have plenty to do at Benchmark.
What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning in running a business?
The people I work with and the thrill of building successful brands.
What are you doing personally to improve your skills as a business leader to keep up?
Pilates.
If you had not worked in wine and drinks industry what would have been your dream career?
Sailing someone else’s boat for a living.
Anything else to say?
It looks like summer has finally arrived - perfect weather for a glass of Kylie Rosé!
* You can find out more about Benchmark Drinks at its website here.
* Next week we hear from Anna Watkins, managing director of the Barrafina Group and director of Harts Group about what she sees are the key skills of a busines leader.
